In our Summer 2015 edition of the WNiF Magazine, we chatted exclusively to some key industry players. Here
is the full Q&A with John Fuller, Company Franchisor and founding
Director of Plus Fitness. Plus Fitness currently has approximately
170 Plus Fitness Clubs, either open or scheduled to open, with a goal of
servicing 150,000 members by early 2016.

How would you summarise your brand’s
achievements in 2015?

Despite an overall slowdown in the growth of 24
hour gyms, Plus Fitness opened a club every 14 days throughout 2015 with our
First International Club opening in December 2015. We have an enormous amount
of momentum which will carry this through 2016 with a goal of 200
franchise units either sold or open by the end of 2016. Whilst we
continue to see Franchisee growth we are extremely focused on our ongoing
support and have expanded our Field Manager Support Team to ensure all clubs
remain profitable and relative in an ever changing fitness market. From a
marketing perspective we continue to achieve great results through our social
media initiatives and interactions, our national television
brand awareness through motorsport sponsorship and in particular entering
a Plus Fitness Car into the Bathurst 1000. We have also secured a true icon of
Australian sport, Sally Pearson as our Brand Ambassador. As Sally prepares
herself for the Rio 2016 Plus Fitness will be working with her to help achieve
her Olympic Goals as well as a range of marketing and fitness initiatives to
motivate members, the public and increase our brand awareness.

What key industry developments do you
predict will take place in 2016?

We are very much aware that the industry, as it
always has, works in “cycles” and the 24-hour gym market is not immune to
this. In fact it could be argued they are more prone to risk of the changes
within our industry, which is why it is imperative for both Nigel and I as
Franchisors and our entire Head Office Team, stay at the forefront of these
changes as the industry shifts and we shows strong direction and leadership to
be able to adapt to the changes without compromising the low cost operating
model of a 24-hour gym. Having the foresight and ability to do this will
continue to set Plus Fitness apart and will provide our
Franchisees with continued prosperity. We have seen a huge increase in
independent operators and larger chains implement changes too quickly and
make knee jerk reactions without consideration to the operating costs in a
desperate effort to retain members and increase services. We believe remaining
relative can still be achieved with a more considered approach through the
use of technology and existing resources without the need to increase
operating expenditure. A combination of high establishment costs and increased
pressure to spend more money on services will impact on many 24-hour and
traditional gym operators in 2016 both independents and franchises.

What impact do you see personal fitness
technology (e.g., wearables, training apps, etc) having on clubs and/or the
industry next year?

Personal fitness technology will have a positive effect
on awareness within our industry which will have an initial flow on affect to
increased memberships as a result. Like any new “fitness craze” however
technology will change quickly as we have already seen with products such as a
Fitbit and the Apple Watch. Ultimately it will, like all products in our
industry have a levelling effect and clubs that can simplify the interaction
between technology , the member and the gym they attend will have the most long
term benefit from the new technology that will be in abundance to the end user,
which will no doubt become the new “ab roller” of current times.

Do you have any predictions or thoughts
regarding developments in gym and/or cardio technology next year?

As personal fitness technology becomes more “mainstream”
cardio integration with media will become less important as people use their
own devices to achieve a far greater range of options than integrated
media solutions can provide as they will become out dated far quicker than a
personal hand held device will and club owners generally only update their
cardio every five years or so at best.

What do you think may be the next big
thing in group fitness, in 2016?

As traditional big box gyms continue to struggle to
provide a large of array services without increased membership income, and high
operating costs we believe small group fitness classes and outdoor options will
continue to enjoy popularity as will an increase in virtual style classes.

What changes or developments, if any,
do you think will occur in 2016 in the landscape of personal and/or outdoor
training?

We believe personal fitness services and outdoor
training will continue to see steady numbers particularly with functional style
training becoming more popular within our industry. I still however, see
functional style training (much like yoga in the 90s) as a cottage industry and
not sustainable as a business model in main stream society. This is of
particular interest to smaller CrossFit-style businesses with higher
operating costs than an outdoor PT or PTs operating within in a gym. As
Functional Training becomes more popular I believe it will (again just
like yoga) become “mainstream” in gyms and will put pressure on these smaller
studios to survive with a limited market. Those who can capitalise on this in
their gyms without increasing their overheads will survive through this
adjustment period.

Do you predict any significant changes
in your or the industry’s membership base (e.g., who is doing what –
male/female/baby boomers; changes in demographics/psychographics; uptake of PT
services, etc)?

With the inception of 24-hour gyms we have already
seen a massive increase in in gym participation rates over the past four years
, something the industry has struggled to achieve in the 15 years prior. Although
24-hour gyms may not be able to take all the credit for this the fact that they
seem to have broken down a lot of barriers to joining a gym, perhaps by their
accessibility, flexibility and affordability is a great thing for our industry
despite the shake-up they have created. Remaining credible is very important
for all gym operators and the focus on members well-being and the reasons
why we all started in this industry is now paramount. Working with doctors,
governments and allied health professionals to achieve this should be
a focus for us all and raising the bar when it comes to personal health and
wellbeing and our collective ability to achieve this will help secure a strong
future for our industry. I believe we can achieve this as well as operate
successfully as the market becomes more educated and mature.